Design Intervention: Toward a More Humane Architecture, first published in 1991, intends to demonstrate that interest in social issues is alive and well in architecture, that there is a small but effective cadre of dedicated professionals who continue to commit themselves to solving social problems, and that architecture is being applied to the alleviation of the social ills of our time. The editors and contributors in this book have all grappled with their own definitions of design innovation, and express in practical and useful ways their ideas for contributing to a better and less needy world through the architecture they describe. This book will be of interest to students of architecture.

The building performance evaluation (BPE) framework emphasizes an evaluative stance throughout the six phases of the building delivery and life cycle: (1) strategic planning/needs analysis; (2) program review; (3) design review; (4) post-construction evaluation/review; (5) post-occupancy evaluation; and, (6) facilities management review/adaptive reuse.
The lessons learned from positive and negative building performance are fed into future building delivery cycles. The case studies illustrate how this basic methodology has been adapted to a range of cultural contexts, and indicates the positive results of building performance assessment in a wide range of situations.
*Practical advice on assessing and monitoring building performance.
*Illustrated with practical case studies.
*Written by a unparalleled team of international experts.

This book deals with the problems that are created when employers try to decrease the size of individual offices and workstations in order to increase work efficiency. Employees, who often regard their workspace as a "home from home," a retreat and a space that symbolizes their status and marks their territory feel threatened by this attempt to shrink "their" room.
Jacqueline Vischer summarizes significant research findings on office-space design and behavior from fields such as environmental psychology, architecture and interior design, employing terms that are accessible and interesting to practicing designers as well as business managers. Examples and case studies illustrate how space is a corporate resource, and how companies can improve their design decisions.
The book also examines the practical aspects of planning workspace for users. Worker productivity and stress levels are affected by lighting, ventilation, temperature, noise, and furniture layout. This book takes a new approach by showing how the technical aspects of human comfort in terms of building systems does not always tally with users' perceptions and behavior. By understanding more about how these factors affect work performance, corporate managers and design professionals can plan, design and manage the layout of the work environment more effectively.

This book deals with the problems that are created when employers try to decrease the size of individual offices and workstations in order to increase work efficiency. Employees, who often regard their workspace as a "home from home," a retreat and a space that symbolizes their status and marks their territory feel threatened by this attempt to shrink "their" room.
Jacqueline Vischer summarizes significant research findings on office-space design and behavior from fields such as environmental psychology, architecture and interior design, employing terms that are accessible and interesting to practicing designers as well as business managers. Examples and case studies illustrate how space is a corporate resource, and how companies can improve their design decisions.
The book also examines the practical aspects of planning workspace for users. Worker productivity and stress levels are affected by lighting, ventilation, temperature, noise, and furniture layout. This book takes a new approach by showing how the technical aspects of human comfort in terms of building systems does not always tally with users' perceptions and behavior. By understanding more about how these factors affect work performance, corporate managers and design professionals can plan, design and manage the layout of the work environment more effectively.

Design Intervention: Toward a More Humane Architecture, first published in 1991, intends to demonstrate that interest in social issues is alive and well in architecture, that there is a small but effective cadre of dedicated professionals who continue to commit themselves to solving social problems, and that architecture is being applied to the alleviation of the social ills of our time. The editors and contributors in this book have all grappled with their own definitions of design innovation, and express in practical and useful ways their ideas for contributing to a better and less needy world through the architecture they describe. This book will be of interest to students of architecture.

The building performance evaluation (BPE) framework emphasizes an evaluative stance throughout the six phases of the building delivery and life cycle: (1) strategic planning/needs analysis; (2) program review; (3) design review; (4) post-construction evaluation/review; (5) post-occupancy evaluation; and, (6) facilities management review/adaptive reuse. The lessons learned from positive and negative building performance are fed into future building delivery cycles. The case studies illustrate how this basic methodology has been adapted to a range of cultural contexts, and indicates the positive results of building performance assessment in a wide range of situations.